The invention relates generally to a system for mounting modules on one another, and more particularly to a system for mounting modules, such as medical instrument modules, on a pole stand.
In modern medical practice a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic instruments are used, sometimes to such a degree that floor and shelf space near the patient's bedside is at a premium. One known solution to the problem of mounting instrument modules is the use of a pole stand, which allows equipment to be mounted vertically over a relatively small footprint on the floor. Often such pole stands have wheels for the convenience of the operator in moving them to where they are needed. It is a well known problem in the hospital setting that such wheeled stands are easily unbalanced upon, for example, crossing thresholds or exiting elevators.
A related concern is matter of rapidly mounting and demounting various instruments in a hospital setting. In a crisis situation, it can be important that the proper mounting of an instrument module be accomplished expeditiously. Even in routine operations, a convenient and reliable mounting system would increase efficiency while enhancing patient comfort. In particular, infusion therapy is performed on many patients in the hospital, and due to incompatibilities in drug chemistry or infusion regimen, this often requires several infusion lines. Over the course of a hospital stay, the number of infusion lines, and hence the number of infusion pumps managing the flow within them, is likely to vary. The cost of patient care is reduced if the infusion pumps can rapidly be redeployed where needed.
Examples of infusion pumps that have typically been mounted on pole stands are shown in co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,192 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 278,181. Typically, a single infusion pump has been mounted on the pole stand at one vertical location along the stand. If additional infusion pumps were needed, they would be mounted on separate pole stands, or at a different vertical location along the same pole stand, or on specially designed multi-pole adaptors or stands that provide a plurality of spaced apart vertical pole sections for mounting infusion pumps. Such infusion pumps have been available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under various trade designations, such as the "AVI 200", "AVI 400" and "AVI 480" model series.
Dual channel infusion pumps have also been available in which one pump housing contains two separately controllable infusion pumps. Dual channel infusion pumps have been available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designations "AVI 840" and "AVI MICRO 845". In the case of dual channel infusion pumps, space on the pole stands is economized by mounting one housing on the pole stand to provide two pumps and two flow channels. Another dual channel infusion pump is available from IMED Corporation, San Diego, Calif., under the trade designation "GEMINI PC2". Of course, one disadvantage of any dual channel infusion pump is that in effect two infusion pumps are provided even in situations where only one pump is needed.
Specially designed pole stands have been used to support a plurality of infusion pumps. One such pole stand has been sold by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation "Model 166 Multipump IV Pole". The "Model 166" pole stand has a lower single pole section supporting an upper multiple pole section, which comprises a plurality of spaced apart pole sections. The upper pole sections of that pole stand have been used to support more than one infusion pump at the same vertical level. Specially designed adaptors have also been available to provide more than one spaced apart vertical pole section on a single pole stand. An adaptor of that type has been available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company under the trade designation "Model 146 IV Pole Adaptor".
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,706 and 4,898,578 show a drug infusion system with calculator. That system includes a plurality of infusion pump modules arranged in a vertical stack along with a central management unit, all of which are supported on a single pole stand. The modules are electronically interlinked with the central management unit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,475 (Neumann et al.) shows a system containing a predetermined number of monitoring devices and at least one central station. That system includes equipment having a bay into which slide-in modules can be introduced in levels one above the other.